Contract Specialist - Commercial

FLEXIBLE LOCATION / WORKPLACE:

Candidates may be based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Houston, or Midland, Texas

.  The position may be onsite or hybrid depending on the candidate’s location, with occasional travel to Midland and Dallas as required.

About Aureus: Aureus Energy Services is an integrated water infrastructure company focused on supporting oil and gas development across the Permian Basin. Originally established as a water services provider, Aureus has evolved into a midstream-focused platform with a growing portfolio of owned and controlled water infrastructure, including pipelines, recycling facilities, disposal assets, water storage, and strategic landholdings and right-of-way positions. Aureus is focused on developing long-term infrastructure solutions that provide reliable water sourcing, produced water takeaway, recycling, and disposal services to leading operators while continuing to expand its asset base through organic development and strategic acquisitions.

Position Overview: The Commercial Contracts Specialist will support Aureus’ commercial and operational activities by drafting, reviewing, negotiating, administering, and tracking agreements across the organization. Reporting through the Director of Land, this cross-functional role will support Land, Commercial, Corporate Development, Legal, Accounting, and Operations, with particular focus on water sourcing, produced water takeaway, disposal, recycling, and related infrastructure agreements.

This is more than a traditional contract administration role. The ideal candidate will be commercially minded, comfortable translating business terms into contractual language, and capable of independently driving agreements from drafting through execution.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Commercial Agreement Drafting & Negotiation

• Draft, review, revise, and coordinate commercial agreements supporting Aureus’ water and infrastructure business, including water sourcing, water supply, produced water takeaway, transportation, disposal, recycling, treatment, pipeline, interconnection, and related agreements.

• Draft, review, and negotiate broader company commercial agreements, including:

• Master Service Agreements (MSAs)

• Work orders and statements of work

• Service and vendor agreements

• Purchase and equipment agreements

• Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements

• Amendments, assignments, and termination agreements

• Other commercial contracts required by the business

• Pricing exhibits, schedules, and attachments

• Work cross-functionally to translate negotiated commercial terms into clear, practical contractual provisions.

• Coordinate negotiations with counterparties, identify material issues, and escalate legal or risk matters as appropriate.

• Contract Administration & Obligation Management

• Maintain organized records of executed agreements, amendments, exhibits, work orders, correspondence, and related documentation.

• Review executed agreements and coordinate key commercial and operational terms into the company’s land and contract tracking system.

• Track pricing, volume commitments, minimums, term and renewal provisions, exclusivity, rights of first refusal or offer, notices, termination rights, and other material obligations.

• Proactively track expirations, renewals, notice dates, pricing adjustments, commitments, and other critical milestones.

• Ensure contract information and obligations are readily accessible to Commercial, Operations, Accounting, Legal, Land, and management.

Cross-Functional Commercial Support

• Support water sourcing and takeaway/disposal transactions from initial development through contract execution and administration.
• Coordinate with Accounting and Finance regarding pricing, invoicing, payments, credits, minimum commitments, and other contract-related financial items.
• Support Operations with MSAs, work orders, service agreements, vendor contracts, and other agreements required to execute company activities.
• Support Corporate Development with contract review, summaries, diligence, and identification of material obligations for acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic projects.
• Project & Transaction Support
• Maintain contract and transaction trackers showing agreement status, outstanding items, responsible parties, and critical path issues.
• Prepare contract summaries, obligation matrices, commercial term comparisons, and other materials for internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate exhibits, schedules, pricing attachments, service areas, maps, and other supporting contract documents.
• Coordinate with internal and outside legal counsel on agreements requiring legal review while maintaining ownership of the contracting process.
• Support special projects and other commercial contracting needs across the organization.

Process & Systems Development

• Develop standardized contract templates, forms, approval workflows, trackers, and contracting procedures.
• Identify recurring contract issues and process gaps and work proactively to improve contract quality and turnaround time.
• Assist in implementing and administering a centralized land and contract management system.
• Develop recurring reports for outstanding commercial agreements, obligations, expirations, renewals, notices, and key milestones.
• Work across functions to create a consistent and scalable contracting process as Aureus grows.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of commercial contracts, contract administration, legal support, or energy transaction experience in oil and gas or midstream.
• 3+ years of direct water-related commercial contracting experience, preferably with a water midstream company or the water organization of an E&P operator.
• Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, redlining, negotiating, or administering water sourcing/supply, produced water takeaway/transportation, disposal, recycling/treatment, or similar water midstream agreements.
• Experience with MSAs, work orders, statements of work, service agreements, and other routine commercial contracts.
• Strong understanding of water transaction terms and operations, including pricing, volumes, capacity, term, dedication, exclusivity, minimum commitments, delivery points, and related obligations.
• Ability to independently manage multiple agreements and deadlines, identify key contractual and commercial issues, and work effectively across Land, Commercial, Corporate Development, Legal, Accounting, and Operations.

IDEAL CANDIDATE: The ideal candidate has meaningful commercial contracting experience in the oil and gas water sector, preferably with a water midstream company or E&P water organization. They should understand both contract language and the commercial and operational structure of water sourcing, produced water takeaway, recycling, and disposal transactions, and be comfortable taking ownership of agreements from drafting and negotiation through execution and ongoing obligation management.